PRODUCT PROFILE: COUPLINGS


Powering ahead with advanced genset couplings


Each industry sector has specific requirements, and with a history spanning over 70 years, Reich Kupplungen has been able to build up unrivalled expertise in the design and manufacture of drive couplings for use across a wide range of industries and applications. During this time, the company has also established a solid reputation as global market leaders in Generator Set (Gen-Set) Coupling applications. Here, Reich Drive Systems UK’s General Manager, David Proud, highlights the key role that drive couplings play in ensuring the reliability and performance levels expected of gensets.


source, or as an emergency power source should the main grid supply fail. Either way, this means that all elements of


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the genset, including the drive coupling, must also be ultra-reliable, and capable of transmitting the loads required within the operational profile and ambient conditions, whilst also giving a long enough service lifetime before repair or replacement is required. With a field-proven and predictable


performance, based upon many thousands of hours of failure-free operation, Reich’s Arcusaflex® and TOK ranges have established themselves as first choice couplings for the industry’s leading genset manufacturers. The Arcusaflex® is a highly flexible


flywheel coupling with an axial plug-in facility, and provides a torsionally-soft connection with constant torsional stiffness between the combustion engine and the alternator. This characteristic is achieved by a disc-


ensets, by their very nature are required to be ultra-reliable, as they are often used in applications where they are the only power


shaped rubber element with a toothed outer profile, attached to the alternator shaft by a bolted hub which in turn mates with a separate aluminium or cast iron flange which bolts directly to the engine flywheel. The coupling element can be subjected to


high torsional loads and compensate for misalignment. During operation the coupling is backlash-


free, and the toothed profile design provides a failsafe mechanism in the event of an overload situation protecting either the engine or alternator from damage. To ensure suitability with the diverse


application conditions that may be encountered in the field, a selection of different rubber compounds are available to provide the correct torsional characteristics for the application, and meet the anticipated ambient operating temperatures (up to 130°C). The TOK coupling range is specifically


designed for applications that require very low torsional stiffness. The Reich TOK coupling is particularly well-suited for flexibly- mounted engine applications requiring large radial, angular and axial displacements.


TOK FlexMountEngine.


“All elements of the genset, including the drive


coupl ing, must also be


ultra-rel iable & capable of transmitting the loads required.”


JULY - AUGUST 2018 UK Power NewS The TOK coupling has a torque range up to


258000Nm and has so far been used on gensets up-to 5MW. The torsional vibration calculation is a key


part of the coupling selection process, to ensure the most appropriate coupling is identified for the specific genset application being considered. This means that coupling selection must


be given careful consideration at the initial specification stage, however the process should also be revisited if there are subsequent changes to the engine or alternator combination. To ensure that there are no negative


torsional vibration characteristics that could arise from the new pairing, Reich is always happy to run or re-run torsional vibration calculations for customers to ensure the coupling selected is the most appropriate and will deliver reliable service. www.reich-uk.com


37 Arcusaflex® .


Reich’s Arcusaflex® and TOK coupling ranges have established themselves as industry standards for genset applications.


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